The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-08-20
POOR WIDOWS TEARS.
Their Satisfactory Effect Upon Prominent
Government Officials.

Their Satisfa Glory Effect Upon Pfominene
Government Officials.
About once II month the statement
appears, and is copied by The press all
over the country. that women clerks
are gradually disappearing from the
registers of the departments, and that
this Or that first assistant or second
assistant Panjandrum has said that the
women, like the Chinese, must CO.
The women scare easily in the first
instance. They run crying to the Civil
Service commissioners--generally Com
missioner Oberly, because he has six
daughters and knows how it is himself
and want to know if the dreadful re.
port is true. Mr. Oberly's placid face
gets mile long. He hates to see
women cry. particularly the widows.
He has been heard to say more than
once that he wishes the Hindoo
custom Of burning the widows at
their husbands funerals could be in.
troduced in this country. and if it
were it would be money in his pocket.
Poor Secretary Folger was worse even
than Mr.. Oberly. When a widow
begun to cry the Secretary would
begin to cry, too. Once widow dressed
in black was admitted into the Secre-
tary's room, where she remained a
long time. His private secretary
tapped on the door three times when,
getting no response, he opened it.
There sat the widow, weeping copi-
ously on one side of the table, while
the Secretary, completely overcome
with her tale of woe, sat crying on the
other side. A ring Of impatient Con-
gressmen stood around the door gaz-
ing at the scene. President Arthur,
calling on Secretary Folger one day
when the latter was ill, asked him il
he thought he had any organic disease.
"None whatever, Mr.. President" an
swered the Secretary, sadly. 'It's the
widows that are killing me.'
General Grant was another man
who surrendered Internationally to a
widow, particularly if she looked
shabby and seemed to have no friends.
At one time there was a big presi.
dental post-ot1ice in Texas to dispose
Of. A hot fractional fight began over
it. and delegation after delegation
came on from Texas to sec about it.
Gradually number of prominent Re-
publicans became involved in the mat
ter, and it assumed a political import
ance entirely out of proportion to its
real consequence. At last, after six
weeks of fighting, the President sur.
prised every body by giving it to the
widow of an old army officer, against
whom there was no objection made by
any body. His tact and wisdom was
loudly applauded in thus getting out
of the complication until the widow
gave him away. Il went to see him, v
she said, Il talked about old times.
told him what struggle l had to
bring my children up respectfully.
Presently he said: Madam, you and
yours shall not want as long
as live. Count on me as your friend.
Then l told him about the post-office
at -. He burst out laughing. why,
said he, "a lot of those political fellows
are worrying me about that office.
guess I'll give it to you In ten min
utes the commission was made out and
signed.
The departments are full of the
widows and orphans Of army and navy
officers. 1t is true that a woman may
command a high salary and have re-
sponsible post without its adding an
iota to her social standing, but that is
obviously cxplainable. The wife OF
Attorney General Brewster was Il Gov
eminent clerk. So was the Marquise
de Montholon. wife Of the French Mn
lister here some years ago. The wife
of Justice Matthews Of the Supreme
Court was department clerk. A
niece Of Mr.. Phelps, Minister to En-.
gland, was until lately in the Navy
Department. A woman's social posi-
ton is neither injured nor bettered by
being OIL Uncle Sans payroll. and
their material well-being is materially
enhanced. The widows, though have
most of the soft places. Washington
Cor. Indianapolis Journal.